Patriots ship Hobbs to Eagles for picks

April 27, 2009|Christopher L. Gasper, Globe Staff

The Patriots reunited Ellis Hobbs with Asante Samuel yesterday, shipping the cornerback to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Patriots parted ways with Hobbs for a pair of fifth-round picks, a pittance compared to the six-year, $57 million contract the Eagles used to lure Samuel from the Patriots last offseason.

The trade caught Hobbs by surprise.

"Personally, I think it's shocking because you've been playing so many years for an organization," Hobbs told the Philadelphia media. "[You] had some success and [you're] doing your thing, but on the other side it's a business. I had been telling my family members for a while I just had a feeling . . . You see how the organization is making moves throughout the offseason. You figure that something is going to shake. You just never know when, but when I got the call, no bad blood, no hard feelings. I'm excited to be playing for the Eagles now."

Hobbs was the top corner in a Patriots secondary that allowed 27 touchdown passes last season, second-most in the NFL, and tied for second in most pass plays of 40 yards or more, surrendering 12.

It's obvious one of coach Bill Belichick's objectives this offseason has been to upgrade his secondary. The signing of veteran free agent cornerbacks Shawn Springs and Leigh Bodden and the drafting of Connecticut cornerback Darius Butler in the second round Saturday made Hobbs, a frequent target of opposing quarterbacks and critics, expendable.

The Patriots also have second-year cornerbacks Terrence Wheatley and Jonathan Wilhite on the roster.

"I'll just say that the Ellis Hobbs trade was not something that we anticipated," said Belichick. "It was just one of those things that, based on the way things went and where our team was and what the opportunity was with Philadelphia, we thought that was the best thing to do for our team."

The Patriots sent the fifth-rounders they acquired from Philadelphia to the Baltimore Ravens for a fourth-round pick (No. 123), which was used to select Penn State guard/center Rich Ohrnberger, and a sixth-round pick (No. 198), which they used to select long snapper Jake Ingram of Hawaii.

The 25-year-old Hobbs started every game the last two seasons, fighting through groin and shoulder injuries.

Last season he started at right cornerback and finished second on the team with three interceptions, tying his career high. He added 46 tackles (according to coaches' film review), 11 passes defended, and 1 1/2 sacks. In four seasons with the Patriots, Hobbs had 11 career interceptions, including two in the 2007 playoffs.